We’re going to go out on a limb and say that everyone enjoys a good poop. (In fact, if it weren’t for pooping, you probably wouldn’t get any reading done, right?) But did you know that by going number two and donating your, er, specimen to science, you could help people recover from an über serious gut infection called Clostridium difficile (C. diff)?
The bad news: C. diff is way common. A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine revealed that about 500,000 Americans are infected every year. While the nasty bug usually strikes people who are on antibiotics or in hospitals, about 35 percent of cases start elsewhere (like the bottom of your shoes).
Symptoms range from watery diarrhea and abdominal cramping to an inflamed colon, which can be life-threatening. What’s worse, if you’ve had the infection before, your chances of another can increase by up to 20 percent—and the odds can increase with each subsequent infection, according to the Mayo Clinic.
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The good news: Your poop can save the day. Fecal microbiota transplants (FMT, also called stool transplants) are becoming a popular option for C. diff sufferers, and can cure over 90 percent of cases. “Stool from a healthy person contains a vast number of bacteria that work together to protect against a variety of infections,†says Lawrence Brandt, M.D., gastroenterologist at Montefiore Health System in New York. “Patients with recurrent C. diff, however, have a simplified bacterial population that’s unable to clear the infection.â€
The transplant restores healthy intestinal bacteria by placing a donor’s stool into the patient’s colon, typically using a colonoscope or endoscope, flexible tubes that are inserted into the body. “By restoring a healthy and diverse bacterial population, FMT can restore the ability of a person’s bacterial community to clear the C. diff bacteria,†says Brandt. Best of all, the procedure itself can be completed in less than an hour.
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Because the procedure is relatively new and hasn’t undergone the standard vetting process required by the FDA, the only known drawback at this time is the ick factor, says Allen Kamrava, M.D., a colorectal surgeon at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. There may, however, be adverse reactions down the line that doctors are completely in the dark about at this point—there isn’t enough research right now to say conclusively, says Kamrava.
Depending on your generosity, a single donation could help treat two to three people with C. diff, says Amanda J. Kabage, M.S., FMT donor program coordinator at the University of Minnesota. Potential donors go through an extensive screening process to determine if they’re a candidate; this process includes a pre-screening questionnaire, a physical exam, and blood tests. “To donate, you just need to be a healthy individual,†says Kamrava. “Not overweight, no medical problems you’re being treated for, no history of blood-borne or intestinal infections, and no recent antibiotic use in the past six months.†You can visit your nearest clinic once a day to donate (during business hours, natch)—or if holding it isn’t an option, Kamrava recommends pooping into a Tupperware container, wrapping it in foil, and placing it in the fridge. When it’s time to transport your donation, place it in a cooler on ice. Donations are then sent to a lab to make sure the sample is problem-free. If you donate on the regular, your health will be reassessed every few months to make sure the quality of your number two is still number one.  Â
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Pay rates vary depending on the clinic, but you’re typically paid per donation and possibly for exam visits. (Earlier this year, The Washington Post reported that OpenBiome, a Boston-area FMT clinic, pays $40 per donation, with a $50 bonus if you come in five days a week.) That said, finding a clinic can be tricky, says Kabage, since there are currently very few in the country. Check out The Fecal Transplant Foundation website for a roster of doctors in your area who perform the procedure, and they should be able to steer you in the right direction.